


Doctor Who Episode Review - The Rebel Flesh

by shadowkat67



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Related, Episode Review, Literary References & Allusions, Meta, Multi, Reviews, Russell T. Davies Era, Steven Moffat Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-27
Updated: 2011-05-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22380337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowkat67/pseuds/shadowkat67
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Amy Pond/Rory Williams, The Doctor/River Song





	Doctor Who Episode Review - The Rebel Flesh

The episode explored a common sci-fi trope - the idea of replicants or dopplegangers that are disposable workers. BSG played with the idea regarding cylons, and prior to that you see it in Star Wars with the Storm Troopers, and of course in West World and Future World with robots. Then there was Star Trek's Lt. Data. This takes it a step further with the view that the replicants are well replicants of us - reminding me of a Phillip K. Dick tale, Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep aka Blade Runner.

Here, the replicates elastic features have a lot in common with Matt Smith's elastic and somewhat eyebrowless features. I knew from the start that he would become a replicant and it would be difficult to determine which was the true Doctor Who. They've done it before of course, cloned or split the Doctor, after all there are two Ten's - one left this verse and resides in a sealed off parallel universe with his one true love Rose Tyler. He's too human to be permitted to fly about unhindered in the Tardis. Too mad. One can't help but wonder how this one will turn out.

Which of course brings up the question - is this how Moffat plans to write himself out of The Doctor's death scene in The Impossible Astronaut? Is the Astronaut in fact the real Doctor, while the replicate is the one we see get shot? Not sure that works logically - since that would mean the replicate lives to be 1103, as does the Doctor (Astronaut). What are the odds?? And has either an equal or separate romance with River Song. Or he doesn't and it is River Song who kills the replicate. OR the replicate kills the Doctor. See, a bit too confusing. Plus it's too easy a solution, too cheap - the real Doctor doesn't die - he just kills his clone. So, this is me, hoping that is not the case. Been there done that in one too many tales.

Interesting that the film Blade Runner and the series Battle Star Galatica V2 were both advertised on BBC America during the airing of The Rebel Flesh - since the episode reminded me of themes in both. In Blade Runner - the unedited Director's Cut - Dekker, the films hero, wonders if he may be a replicate. As he does in Phillip K. Dick's short story upon which it is based but bares little resemblance to. I actually like the Ridely Scott film better. And in BSG - the cylons can well pass for human, may even be human.

The Doctor certainly considers the Rebel Flesh human. But the humans are uncomfortable with duplicates of themselves wandering about. Sure as disposable bodies that can do the work, they fear to do - no problemo. They even justify what they are doing to these bodies - stating they are just bodies, not real, fabricated, not alive. An age old sci-fi ethical dilemma, when is something alive and when does it become problematic to treat such as thing as mere slave? It's a dilemma that has been explored in everything from Issac Asimov's I Robot to Stanley Kubrick's via Stephen Spielberg's AI to well Jane Espenson's I Was Made To Love You in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which in turn was based on the cult pic, Making Mr. Right. The idea that we can use another sentient creature as a tool to service ourselves or work in our stead ...is disturbing. Yet, human beings have done this since the dawn of time - we have a lengthy and somewhat notorious history of slavery to back this up. What is to stop us from doing it again with mechanical or biologically engineered creations? What separates us from whatever force or entity achieved our creation - is we refuse to free our own creations, to let them breath and not just wander about being slaves to our will. We make lousy gods.

It's interesting that the two people who show empathy and kindness to the Rebel Flesh are the Doctor and Rory, or the men, while Amy and the female leader of the group react mainly in fear or uncertainty. Rory takes an interest in Jennifer - because she needs him, needs his protection, while Amy seems to eschew it, or push him aside. Rory must wonder at times if she's just letting him tag-a-long for the ride like a faithful hound (or pet). Amy's focus from Rory's perspective must always be on the Doctor. Yet, when he's not around, we see her hunting frantically for him and the Doctor either chasing after her or trying to call her back. As the Doctor states in aggravation - "Always Rory."

While the gender flip of Rory and Amy is gratifying in some respects, in others ...it makes me wonder what the writer is up to. I rather adore Rory - have a huge crush on both the actor and character. And the gender flip in regards to his character aids in that. On the other hand, it is placing Amy in rather dark light. She's coming across increasingly insensitive and selfishly motivated, a reverse switch of previous companions. But that just might be me or rather this episode, it is hard to tell. But I've noticed an increasing pattern emerging where Amy's empathy for others seems to go no further than those closest to her - Rory, The Doctor, and the Tardis. I rather like Amy, she's savy, and has a snarky wit - so I hope I'm wrong about that. If you can provide a strong counter argument pipe up. It's more a feeling than anything else. Happy to be proven wrong.

Not quite sure where they are going with it. More than one possibility. Which makes it interesting. As for everyone surviving? With Doctor Who that's always a bit up in the air isn't it? Since time travel and the ability to constantly change companions and actors playing the lead roles is possible. Since anything more or less goes in Doctor Who and the boundaries are rather loose, the show remains largely unpredictable as a result. No wonder it has so many fans. You can play with it inside your head. Create your own fiction. Even your own personal canon and still be okay. It's a limitless verse with countless possibilities, and firm sci-fi rules. More fun than Star Trek and definitely more fun than Buffy, since there's more content and a far more open-ended structure.

One more point regarding the seasonal arc and the themes within it - Amy once again sees the woman with the eye patch opening a slide in the door to look at out her. She'd race towards her, but is prevented by the acid. Not sure what this means, but it has been repeated in two separate episodes now. Also the Doctor is once again attempting to send Amy and Rory elsewhere before heading into danger, but Amy blatantly refuses - causing them to run headlong into the storm. There's almost a tug of war of secrets between the Doctor and Amy, The Doctor knows about Amy's odd pregnancy status, and Amy knows about the Doctor's death. Life/Unlife is his secret, while Death is her's. The Rebel Flesh - life/unlife and death embodied in one. We just want to live. And the Doctor - trust me. Which they do, until one of the humans, the gal in charge attempts to kill them - prevented by Rory and they declare WAR - us vs. them. Again the duality. Us - them. The Silence was us vs. them. The idea of seeing the unknown alien as monstrous, and discovering it may not be until provoked, or it is when unseen. The Tardis also, once again, remains out of touch, out of reach, the Doctor always running cannot escape into it - he's forced to figure things out without its guidance. This round its sunk in a pool of acid. "What are you doing down there?" He asks it, somewhat perturbed. And his shoes get burned off in answer. What do you think?


End file.
